All News / Outbreaks /

Spokane Produce Lettuce E. coli Outbreak

On July 29, 2002, the FDA warned consumers not to consume Spokane Produce brand romaine lettuce because the product was associated with an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that occurred at a "Just for Kix" dance camp that occurred on the Cheney campus of Eastern Washington University in mid-July of 2002. The FDA reported that 29 individuals at the Eastern Washington University dance camp had been confirmed to have E. coli O157:H7. The situation was discovered when many individuals who attended the camp became ill.

Washington Department of Health (WDOH) laboratory tested the two Spokane County cases’ E. coli O157:H7 bacterial culture isolates by pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and determined they were indistinguishable. By July 31, 33 cases of E. coli O157:H7 were confirmed by culture in Spokane County.

The Spokane Regional Health District concluded that the likely source of the outbreak was romaine lettuce manufactured, distributed and sold by Spokane Produce.

Get Help

Affected by an outbreak or recall?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

Get a free consultation
Related Resources
E. coli Food Poisoning

What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so...

E. coli O157:H7

E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in...

Non-O157 STEC

Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 may be the most notorious serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but there are at least...

Sources of E. coli

Where do E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) come from? The primary reservoirs, or ultimate sources, of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC in nature are...

Transmission of and Infection with E. coli

While many dairy cattle-associated foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to raw milk and other raw dairy products (e.g., cheeses, butter, ice cream), dairy cattle still represent a source of contamination...

Outbreak Database

Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

View Outbreak Database